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Why the Knicks are in no position to get a star and should not target one, a (very long) thread 
Now, this is not going to be an easy pill for fellow Knicks fans to swallow. But the sooner we understand our situation, the easier it is to get behind. I also think this would better be presented as an article, but I don't have that platform to write one on. So, here we are.
This is in response to Tom Thibodeau saying the Knicks should be aggressively targeting a star right now. Him saying that tells a lot about both the misunderstanding of both the team needs and the status of our development.
Thibodeau saying we need a star player right now shows 2 things. One, he was hired with the intention of winning right now. We are not at the point where we should be focusing on the playoffs. Rarely does a team of players with an average age of 24 shoot for the playoffs (cont.)
especially when the majority of players are still within the first 3-4 years of their careers. This isn't always the case, there are plenty of young teams that make the playoffs. However, they have years of playing with each other, developing chemistry and playing to each (cont.)
strength's and weaknesses. When the longest tenured player is entering his 4th season, and there have been major roster overhauls each year in that time, that is not a sign of growth. How many playoff teams undergo roster changes as frequently and large as the Knicks? Not many.
All of this to say, why does winning now (this year in particular) seem logical? What is different now compared to last year, the coaching? Thibs is a better coach than Fizdale and Miller, but none are appropriate for what we are in the need for. What makes this year special?
This season, if anything, is the worst to push for the playoffs. Teams that were in our echelon last season have made the right moves necessary to become more competitive. Key word, right. Hawks, Bulls, Wizards (to an extent) even the Cavs are all now in a better place (cont.)
to finish in with the 8th seed. They can afford to do that, their teams are better than ours. If we somehow made the playoffs, what would we gain from it? Experience is nice, but at what cost? The 8th seed means a much lower pick in the 2021 draft. The draft is deeper but (cont.)
still, it is reckless to risk losing out on potentially getting a top 5 pick just to get swept by the Bucks, Celtics, or Nets in the 1st round. Thibs believes that the top priority is to win. Looking at the roster, I can't see how this is possible. Is the top priority to develop?
The answer is yes, it should be, and that is the 2nd thing that Thibs saying "we need a star" shows. RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, even Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr. and Ignas Brazdeikas have been a victim of a poor development.
Preseason is not the best indication of the season outlook, but it is a place to start. Take for instance last game, in the loss to the Pistons. Thibs is most likely looking to find players who can close out games. But instead of testing out different options, what does Thibs do?
He plays a tired, 29 year old Reggie Bullock even more minutes. Why? Preseason is supposed to be a testing ground for new players, and to get young players acquainted with the NBA. Young shooters like Quickley and Powell should have entered the game to become experienced with
playing against professionals. Quickley finished with 9 minutes, Powell didn't even see the court. This is not the only example, but it is the most recent of how the Knicks are not handling development well. Granted, this year has been an improvement for a surrounding cast.
Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks were excellent moves, I think all Knicks fans agree. But bringing back Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock were not good moves. Payton is playing slightly better, but both still overstay their welcome on the court. As for Randle, that is a larger issue.
It makes sense why the Knicks had to bring him back. Other teams are fully aware of the liability Randle is when he steps on the court. His contribution is insignificant, even nonexistent. That being said, if a team offers a deal for him, pull the trigger and ship him out.
With all of this laid out, why would a star player find this situation appealing and the best fit for them? Let's use Julius Randle here, the biggest Knicks signing since Melo in 2014. Blame who you want, the fact remains that we lost the KD and Kyrie sweepstakes and panicked,
signing Julius Randle as our marquee star player to compliment RJ Barrett. His 2018-19 season was actually pretty good (21/8/3/.7/.6 with splits of 53/37/73 in 30 mpg), meaning this has to be viewed as "bringing in a star". How has that turned out? The worst spacing in the NBA
is just the surface. Our players have been limited by having a star come in, believing this is their team and not working to help everyone else. Passing on Jimmy Butler was questionable, even without hindsight. Just as other teams see Randle's sloppy play, we should have seen
the collapse of Jimmy's teams once he leaves. Not to mention, while Jimmy is out to win, he cares about the improvement of his younger teammates. Not many players are left for us to bring in, seeing as Jimmy is happy in Miami and won't leave a situation like that.
Bringing in random stars just because they have great stats is worst course of action, and any star players who would be helpful to our development will either not be interested or are in long-term deals that extend beyond the development timeline. So, what's the right move now?
It should be to build small and work with what we have/can reasonably get. Bringing in Noel and Burks was a good start, but that seems to have been the only sensible move. Playing older players more minutes is not going to benefit the younger guys in any way. Why keep doing it?
The model for our rebuild should be the Warriors. The Warriors, as a relatively big market, could have signed big name free agents to "mentor" Stephen Curry. Instead, they focused on finding the right fits in each draft, and making trades or signing FA that actually worked well.
I'm not saying we are definitely sitting on a team comparable to the Warriors dynasty, but why are we not following their blueprint that worked out well for them? They didn't poach a free agent just to stay afloat, they took their time to work on their young talent for the future
So all of this is to say, Thibs is wrong for suggesting an aggressive pursuit of a star for the Knicks. We aren't in any position for one, and it would not make sense. As a team, we need to find ourselves and embrace the rebuild. Thank you, go Knicks.
